


Charms to Sooth

by Daegaer



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Anthropomorphic Personifications, Gen, Homesickness, International Relations, Music, Pianos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-03
Updated: 2010-07-03
Packaged: 2017-10-10 09:03:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/97964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daegaer/pseuds/Daegaer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Austria sees no reason he cannot share Poland's people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Charms to Sooth

**Author's Note:**

> _Music hath charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. _  
> \-- William Congreve, _The Mourning Bride_

  
Poland is sitting at the piano. _His_ piano. Austria feels his hands ball into fists, the desire to storm in and save the piano from Poland's barbaric assault on it rising sharply. He stops, listening in astonishment. The melody is _beautiful_, threading its melancholy way into him and focusing his attention in a way that all of Poland's brash conversation never has. Poland plays an astonishing series of trills, the melody changing, becoming louder as Austria creeps closer, closer. As he finishes Poland's eyes are closed, his hands stilling on the keys.  
"Go away," he says.  
"Which of my people wrote that?" Austria asks.  
Poland takes his hands from the keys. "None of them. One of _mine_." With his hair hanging forward to partially shield his face, his eyes still closed, he looks delicate, fragile. Austria stoops over him and brushes the pale, straight hair back. It is silky and very fine.  
"One of _ours_," Austria says, stroking the back of his fingers against Poland's cheek. "We can share."  
Poland opens his eyes. "You have _got_ to be joking," he says, his voice full of contempt. "I'll give you _nothing_. Try to make me, and you'll get even less." He stands and walks out, not looking back.  
Austria sits at the piano and plays the piece through. He doesn't _need_ Poland for this, and it will sound better without the tinge of loss anyway. With every repetition it will become more and more his and no one will remember the composer was Polish. There is no need to regret the slide of soft, fair hair through his fingers or the feel of Poland's smooth cheek. He is surprised that the piece remains melancholy no matter how often he plays it, that it makes the other Nations under his roof turn away to hide their tears, silent and homesick.  
He never finds Poland at the piano again. No one ever forgets Chopin was Polish.

  
* * *

Notes: Historical and Hetalia:

[Frédéric Chopin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric_Chopin) (1810-1849) was born in the Duchy of Warsaw, and lived in exile in Paris after the [November Uprising](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Uprising) was crushed by Russia.  
Poland is playing Chopin's [Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj3CHx3TDzw), apparently Austria's favourite piece of music in Hetalia.


End file.
